MATLAB Primer

Second Edition

IMPORTANT NOTICE

Note that this is an unauthorized copy, which is NOT for
further distribution. It originates from the version which has been
available by FTP some time ago. At present, a copy
of Version 4 is available from CRC Press (1994)
and I recommend the reader to buy the official version
The present copy has been modified for easy access on computer
in the following ways:

Most of the formula-like references were replaced by typewriter font
in order to avoid the pictures and to allow copying by mouse.

The source has been rewritten to LaTeX, so that latex2html could be used

This document is ment for local purposes only !!!

This document is prepared by Ladislav.Kocbach@fi.uib.no

NOTICE FROM THE AUTHOR

The MATLAB Primer may be distributed as the user sees fit
subject to the following conditions:

It may not altered in any way, except possibly adding an
addendum giving information about the local computer installation.

It, or any part thereof, may not be used as part of a document
distributed for a commercial purpose.

INTRODUCTION TO THE MATLAB PRIMER VERSION 2

MATLAB is an interactive, matrix-based system for scientific and engineering
calculations. You can solve complex numerical problems without actually
writing a program. The name MATLAB is an abbreviation for MATrix LABoratory.

The purpose of this Primer is to help you begin to use MATLAB. They can best
be used hands-on. You are encouraged to work at the computer as you read
the Primer and freely experiment with examples.

You should liberally use the on-line help facility for more detailed
information. After entering MATLAB as described in section 1, the command
help will display a list of functions for which on-line help is
available; the command help functionname will give information
about a specific function. The command help eig, for example, will
give information about the eigenvalue function eig. You can preview
some of the features of MATLAB by entering the command demo.

The scope and power of MATLAB go far beyond these notes. Eventually
you will want to consult the MATLAB User's Guide and Reference Guide.
The documentation which accompanies the Student Edition of MATLAB is
an excellent source. Copies of the complete User's Guide are often
available for review at locations such as consulting desks, terminal
rooms, computing labs, and the reserve desk of the library. Consult
your instructor or your local computing center to learn where the
User's Guides are located at your institution.

MATLAB is available for a number of environments: Sun/Apollo/VAXstation/HP
workstations, VAX, MicroVAX, Gould, PC and AT compatibles, 80386 and 80486
computers, Apple Macintosh, and several parallel machines. There is a
relatively inexpensive Student Edition available from Prentice Hall
publishers. The information in these notes applies generally to all of
these environments.

While the second edition of the Primer is based on version 3.5 of MATLAB, it
is compatible with version 4.0 with the fundamental differences noted.
An edition of the Primer based on version 4.0 is under development.

The plain source (and a PostScript file primer35.ps) of this
second edition of the MATLAB Primer is available via anonymous ftp
from math.ufl.edu as the file primer35.tex in the
directory pub/matlab. If ftp is unavailable to you, it can be
obtained via listserv by sending an email message to
listserv@math.ufl.edu which contains the single line
send matlab/primer35.tex.
It can also be obtained by sending a request to the author at
sigmon@math.ufl.edu. The latest edition of the Primer will
always be available as indicated above as the file primer.tex.
A Spanish version is also available there.